The Georgetown Men’s Soccer team defeated Big East rival Notre Dame 2-1 on Saturday in the first round of the Big East Tournament at Notre Dame’s Alumni Field in South Bend, Ind. Junior defender Carl Skanderup scored the game-winning goal in overtime to launch the Hoyas into the Big East semi-finals for the third time in five years.
In 1999, Georgetown reached the Big East Championship game before losing to Connecticut, 2-0.
This year’s team, filled with first-year talent, has relied on strong defensive play and the maturation of their young stars. Junior goalie Tim Hogan had five saves on the win versus the Fighting Irish, and first-year defender Jeff Curtin played excellently, containing the Irish offense all game.
Notre Dame struck first with four minutes remaining in the first half. Senior forward Erich Braun of the Irish kicked in a pass from junior midfielder Justin Detter to give his team a 1-0 lead.
After the half, an onslaught of rain made playing conditions rough. In the 57th minute, Hoyas’ first-year forward Benjamin Jefferson-Dow crossed the ball through the box to sophomore midfielder Trevor Goodrich, who scored from 12 yards out.
With the score tied, the end of regulation was nasty. The Hoyas had 27 fouls in the game, 15 of which occurred in the second half. Seven yellow cards were called, five on the Hoyas and two on the Irish, and sophomore midfielder Kevin Sindelar earned a red card late in the half, putting him out of the game. Both teams held their ground and the remaining 34 minutes after Georgetown’s goal were played without a score by either team. Regulation ended tied at 1-1.
Only five minutes into the first overtime period, Skanderup was able to steal a Notre Dame clear and blast home a 30-yard game-winning goal.
This Friday at 7:30 p.m. the Hoyas will play the No. 1 seeded Boston College Eagles in the Big East Semifinals at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway, N.J. The final will also be held at Rutgers on Sunday at 12 p.m.
